Talk:Australian industrial relations legislation national day of protest, 2005

Protest estimates
The figures reported here for what organisers estimated appear incorrect. According to a media release by Sharan Burrows (ACTU President) the figures here seem inderstated. Community Protest Against New IR Laws Bigger Than Expected Estimating crowd sizes in the tens of thousands is mostly guess work, so attribution is useful to determine who's estimate you are reading. I have no problem in using two estimates for each crowd, correctly attributed, so that readers can make up their own minds on crowd size. --Takver 02:36, 16 November 2005 (UTC)

I have updated the figures to concurr with the estimate in Ms Burrow's media release--Takver 03:21, 16 November 2005 (UTC)

Can Tirin name a major national protest movement in which Melbourne has not had a bigger crowd than Sydney? (Gay Mardi Gras doesn't count). Adam 03:53, 16 November 2005 (UTC)

Sounds like a challenge. While protest events are generally better attended in Melbourne on national/global issues or days of protest, and taking into account conservative crowd estimates, I can think of at least 3 events in which Sydney crowds were bigger than Melbourne:

1985: Palm Sunday Peace March Sydney: estimated 170,000 people Source: Margot Kingston SMH column: "In 1985, more than 300,000 people marched across Australia in Palm Sunday anti-nuclear rallies. The biggest rally was in Sydney, where 170,000 people brought the city to a standstill. (SMH, 1-4-1985, p.1)" I was a participant in the Sydney event. It was huge.

2000: Walk for Reconciliation Sydney: On Sunday 28 May up to 400,000, but generally estimated in most reports as 250,000 Australians, walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in support of reconciliation. (Source: Gadigal website, Workers Online, Stolen Generation) Melbourne: On Sunday 3 December. 150,000 (police estimate) to 400,000 (Organisers) The VTHC said 350,000. Read and viewed accounts of Sydney walk while holidaying in NSW. Participated in Melbourne walk. On balance I would say a greater number attended the Sydney event.

2003: February 14/16 Peace Rally Sydney: Estimated at 250,000 (police) and between 300,000 to 500,000 (organisers) Melbourne: Estimated at 150,000 (police) to 200,000 (Organisers) February_15,_2003_global_anti-war_protest uses 250,000 for Sydney and 150,000 for Melbourne Participated in Melbourne rally.

There are probably more examples further back in history, but these were the ones I have some personal experience with through personal participation and reading news accounts/histories of from 1970 onwards.--Takver 12:49, 16 November 2005 (UTC)

OK I am happy to concede those, although I wouldn't take Margo Kingston's word on anything, and figures of 350,000 and 400,000 are totally fanciful. It is a sad fact that "organisers" of these events always wildly exaggerate (probably not deliberately) the size of crowds, as I once demonstrated. Adam 23:33, 16 November 2005 (UTC)

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